This picture taken on April 25, 2022 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26 shows a military parade to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. (Photo by KCNA via KNS/AFP Photo)

This picture taken on February 8, 2023 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 9, 2023 shows jets flying past during a military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. (Photo by KCNA via KNS/AFP Photo)

North Korean people line up on the street side and welcome the motorcade of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, 19 June 2024. The Russian president is on a state visit to North Korea from 18-19 June at the invitation of the North Korean leader. He last visited North Korea in 2000, shortly after his first inauguration as president. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/EPA/EFE)

Domestic tourists visit the beach at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea's Kangwon Province on July 1, 2025. North Korea opened a massive resort area on its east coast, state media said on July 2, with the tourism pet project of leader Kim Jong Un reportedly set to welcome Russian guests later this month. (Photo by Kim Won Jin/AFP Photo)

At this year’s Venice Bienniale in Italy, the Korean pavilion has a curious exhibit called “Commissions for Utopia”. It includes renderings from North Korea’s top architects and artists (all anonymous), many of whom studied at the Paekho Institute of Architecture, North Korea’s state-run architectural college, and none of whom have ever left the country. They were asked to create a vision of North Korea’s future sustainable architecture for its expanding tourism industry. Their final products are a glimpse into what it would be like to envision the future after being entirely cut off from the present for almost 70 years. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)

Female North Korean soldiers parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce in the 1950-1953 Korean War at Kim Il-sung Square, in Pyongyang. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A woman in traditional clothes wears a pin showing North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung (L) and former leader Kim Jong-il, on her dress as she welcomes foreign reporters to a temple during a government organised tour just outside Pyongyang October 8, 2015. North Korea is getting ready to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Party of Korea on October 10. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

People cross the street in central Pyongyang, North Korea May 4, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)